Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, and particularly relates to correction of image blur generated in follow shot image capturing.
Description of the Related Art
Follow shot (panning shot) is a conventional image capturing technique to express a speed of a moving object. The follow shot is performed by a user to capture an image in which the moving object is at rest while its background looks like moving, and is achieved by panning a camera following motion of the object. In follow shot image capturing, the user needs to perform panning following the motion of the object. However, a too fast or slow panning velocity results in a difference between a moving velocity of the object and the panning velocity, which may often generate a blurred image of the object.
Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 4-163535 discloses an image pickup apparatus in which part of an optical system of a lens or an image pickup unit during exposure is moved based on “a relative angular velocity of the object with respect to the image pickup apparatus that is calculated before exposure” and “an angular velocity of the image pickup apparatus during the exposure that is obtained from an angular velocity sensor” so as to correct any shake of the object (object blur). The relative angular velocity of the object with respect to the image pickup apparatus is calculated based on “a move amount of the object on an image plane that is detected from temporally sequential images” and by the “angular velocity sensor”.
However, in the image pickup apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 4-163535, the calculated relative angular velocity of the object needs to be maintained during the exposure when shake correction is performed. For example, in fast continuous image capturing, using the calculated relative angular velocity of the object at temporally largely different exposure timing may result in inappropriate shake correction because the moving velocity of the object may change meanwhile.